


Powdered Christmas

by xLoveMx



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: And all that jazz, Fluff, M/M, and christmas, and lots of interruptions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 20:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9019783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLoveMx/pseuds/xLoveMx
Summary: or: Five times Arthur tried asking Merlin to move in with him and the one time he succeeded.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas! :)
> 
> This is a small addition to the story "Powdered Sugar" which was posted on here a little while ago. I was going to write something for Christmas and then this idea came to me and I fell in love with it. You don´t need to have read the original story to enjoy this one, but I suppose it would help to know the background!
> 
> But whatever you choose to do, I hope you´re having a wonderful holiday season and that you enjoy this little snippet! x

**1.**

The first time Arthur had thought about asking Merlin to move in with them had been in October. He had brushed it off though, telling himself that it was way too early. They had barely been together for a couple of months and while Arthur had never been happier than he was now he didn´t want to move too fast. In the back of his mind he heard his father´s voice, telling him to be careful, though he sincerely doubted Uther would say anything about the matter, really.

Now December had come around and the idea had stuck in his head. Arthur had briefly considered asking Morgana whether or not she thought it was the right time, but had thought better of it. She would have probably packed Merlin´s bags and dumped them in Arthur´s apartment before he could even so much as utter the question.

Would Merlin even say yes? Maybe he thought it was too early as well. Arthur couldn´t be sure.

He had the key made anyway.

It was tucked away in the inside pocket of his coat, that way Arthur always had it on him and he could be sure that Merlin wouldn´t come across it and start asking questions he wasn´t prepared for. Arthur would be doing this on his own terms, even if he wasn´t quite sure what they were.

The first time he considered actually asking Merlin was a Friday. They had been decorating the shop and debating whether or not a Christmas tree would fit in.

“The place is small enough as it is,” Arthur had argued, leaning against the counter. The shop had been fully renovated and had quickly become a people´s favorite. The news of Merlin´s creations and their wonderful taste had spread out through London and they had even made the Telegraph´s top list of the best sweet shops and bakeries in town.

The picture of Arthur´s mother was hung up on the wall next to the kitchen and on the other side they had framed and hung the picture they had taken during Pride this year. Arthur might have doubted his decision to buy and renovate the shop back then, but these days he felt as if he was the happiest person to walk this earth. He enjoyed going to work every morning and the other day he had actually caught himself humming.

“Well if we push the tables and the chair a little further to the right we could squeeze one into the corner,” Merlin responded, pulling Arthur from his thoughts. “It doesn´t have to be a big one, Arthur. But it´s not Christmas without a tree. And since we basically spend all our time in the shop anyway why not put it up here?”

Merlin had a point there. Surely, they did go home at the end of the day, but after that there wasn´t much he did there. Arthur attended some parties, most of those were hosted by Morgana, where he made small talk about his business. He didn´t hate the parties as much as he used to, mostly because what he talked about was actually something that was close to his heart.

Merlin was at the shop an hour before Arthur so he assumed the other man went to bed early then.

“Fine.” Arthur found himself giving in, lips curled into a smile, and thought about the key in the inside pocket of his coat.

 _Maybe I should just ask._ He thought to himself, but before Arthur could so much as make a move to get the key, Merlin had already grabbed his own coat.

“Wonderful!” He exclaimed with a bright smile. “They sell them around the corner from Gaius´ place. I´ll go and get one. There´s a batch of gingerbread cookies in the oven, get them out for me when they´re done, will you?”

And with a kiss to the cheek Merlin was gone and the moment had passed.

 

**2.**

The next time the opportunity arose it was all a little more thought through. Arthur had decided to ask Merlin at the shop, because that was where they had met. He had always been fond of romance, though he had supressed those thoughts during the last few years. With Merlin though it seemed to come natural to him and Arthur had to admit that he liked it.

Merlin made him feel lighter. The other man´s laugh warmed his heart and he felt a shiver running down his spine whenever Merlin kissed him.

They had decorated the tree and put up some fairy lights around the shop. It did look a little crowded with the table and the chairs in the corner, but it also felt like _home_.

Merlin was busy behind the counter and Arthur was leaning against it, just watching. It had been a busy day so far, but things had quieted down by now and he wondered whether or not he should simply ask. Not make a big deal out of it. Maybe he would be lucky and Merlin would say yes. They might not have been together for such a long time yet, but he simply felt that it was all right. He hadn´t felt this way with Sophia. He had tried to tell himself that they were a perfect match over and over again, but had been proven wrong when she had cheated with another man.

“What are you dreaming about?” Merlin´s face came into view, along with his beautiful, goofy smile and Arthur felt his heart skip a beat.

“Nothing.” He managed, mirroring Merlin´s smile. Those thoughts of Sophia, and what she had done, might have haunted him for a long time, but ever since Merlin had come into his life things had gotten so much better.

“Are you sure? Because you had that look on your face,” Merlin smiled, leaning up to press a kiss to Arthur´s nose. It was always a little irritating, but in the best kind of ways, and for a moment Arthur wasn´t sure what to say.

“Merlin, I…” He began, but the sound of his phone ringing interrupted him. If it had been his personal phone Arthur would have let it ring, because it would have most likely been Morgana, trying to invite him to her annual Christmas party, but it was his work phone, so he went to pick it up.

“ _Ygraine´s Bakery_ , London´s best cupcakes and macaroons. Arthur Pendragon speaking, how can I help you?”

Merlin was still grinning and mouthed something along the lines of L _ook at you, you very important business man._ Before disappearing back into the kitchen.

 

**3.**

It was a little more than a week before Christmas when Arthur made another attempt. He hadn´t been able to sleep much during the last few days, always lying awake and wondering what he could say to Merlin. He had even considered writing it down so he wouldn´t blank again.

It had seemed a little stupid though. It wasn´t like he was going to ask Merlin to marry him. Arthur simply wanted him to move in and to have a speech written for that seemed a little…too much.

It was a Saturday and they had just done a delivery and Arthur thought about closing the shop a little early. It was a cold, wet day and most people were already home in the comfort of their warm and cozy apartments, so it wouldn´t matter.

“Merlin?” He called into the kitchen, grabbing the small key from the inside pocket of his coat. “Can you come here for a second?”

Merlin, with his hair slightly dishevelled and a bit of flour on his forehead, poked his head out of the kitchen, a smile on his face.

“What´s up?”

Arthur made a gesture for him to come closer and quickly went through what he had prepared in his head.

Merlin had barely reached the spot where Arthur was standing by the tree when the bell above the door rang. Arthur didn´t even manage to speak up and tell them that they were closed, because his sister´s voice sounded through the shop just a second later.

“Happy Holidays,” She was grinning broadly, carrying a basket filled with Thermos flasks.

“Morgana?” Merlin asked, mirroring her grin, which only got wider when Gwen, Leon, Lance and Gwaine followed after her.

“You work too much, dear. So I figured we´d bring the party here to get you into the Christmas spirit,” She laughed, grabbing two of the mugs that Leon and Lance had carried and placed upon the counter. “Gwen was going to bring cookies, but we figured you´d have enough sweets here.” She then chuckled, filling the mugs with the mulled wine she had brought.

Lance had put on some Christmas music so that soon enough the small shop was filled with the Christmas spirit Morgana had talked about. The smell of baked goods and mulled wine hung in the air, everyone was laughing and chatting and Gwaine was singing along to the Christmas music. He was terribly out of tune, but nobody seemed to mind.

“Did you know about this?” Merlin asked, bumping his shoulder against Arthur´s, who still stood by the tree. “You always say I work too much.”

Arthur, who was still holding the key to his apartment in one hand, wrapped his arm around Merlin´s waist, shaking his head. Try as he might, he couldn´t quite hate Morgana for interfering with his plans. Not when Merlin was warm and happy against him and when he couldn´t contain the laughter bubbling up in his chest as Gwaine got the chorus of _Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer_ completely wrong.

 

**4.**

They had been fighting. Arthur couldn´t even remember what it was that had triggered it, but there had been yelling and tears and now the kitchen was a mess from where Arthur had thrown baking utensils and ingredients to the floor. He was madder at himself than he was at Merlin, really.

He had sworn never to make Merlin feel the way he had felt when they had fought for the first time. Back when Uther had told him off in the bakery and Merlin had overheard. Of course it was naive to think that they would never fight, but they had been fine up until now and Arthur felt terrible. As if someone had slung a chain around his chest and was pulling tightly, making it hard for him to breathe.

He wasn´t sure how long he had stood in the mess that was the shop´s kitchen, but eventually Arthur thought of the key he had made for Merlin. This was stupid, they were in love and Arthur had never been happier than he was with Merlin. He wasn´t just going to let that go to waste because they had fought once.

He rushed out of the kitchen and to the front of the shop, but that was about as far as Arthur got, because Merlin was standing in the door, his face red from the cold and his eyes still a little watery.

For a moment Arthur was frozen, his heart breaking just a little at the sight of seeing the man he loved like this.

 _I did that._ He thought and without hesitating another second he pulled Merlin into his arms, cradling the back of his head and pressing kisses to his temple.

“Merlin…I`m sorry…” He whispered. “I was going to…” Arthur didn´t even care that it wasn´t going to be romantic, he simply wanted Merlin to know that he loved him and that he wanted to spend every moment of the rest of his life with him.

“Don´t.” Merlin whispered, pulling back slightly so he could look at Arthur. “You don´t have to say anything.” He added, leaning up to kiss Arthur with so much love and tenderness that Arthur complied.

 

**5.**

It was only three days until Christmas and Arthur was sorting out some last minute orders and deliveries when Merlin came to wrap his arms around him, chin resting on Arthur´s shoulder.

“My Mom just called.” He told him, knowing that Arthur didn´t notice anything that was going on around him when he worked. Arthur was aware that Merlin´s mother was coming to town for Christmas to visit her son and Gaius. They hadn´t decided just what they were going to do for Christmas. It would be their first Christmas as a couple and Arthur thought that things would have been so much easier if he had already asked Merlin to move in with him.

But somehow there had always been something that had gotten in the way and he briefly wondered if that might have been a sign. There had been signs with Sophia, but Arthur had ignored them.

He momentarily scolded himself for comparing the two of them, then turned his head to press a kiss to Merlin´s cheek.

“What did she say?” He eventually asked and Merlin smiled, not moving from his place. “She´s coming in on the 23rd. She wants to make her special Christmas dinner, like she does every year. She won´t even let us help. I´m lucky if I´m allowed to make the dessert,” Merlin chuckled and Arthur felt a smile tug on the corners of his lips.

“Merlin, I need to talk to you.” Arthur turned slightly in his chair so he could get a better look at Merlin. “I´ve been meaning to talk to you for a while actually.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow and straightened up a little, the memory of their fight still fresh on his mind. What did Arthur want to talk to about? He could feel a knot forming in the pit of his stomach and glanced down to where Arthur had taken his hand and intertwined their fingers.

“Come here,” Arthur pulled him towards where he had left his coat and reached for the inside pocket with his free hand.

Then the doorbell rang.

They both glanced over and were surprised to see Uther standing in the door way, the collar of his coat drawn up.

“Father.” Arthur eventually managed, his hand still mid-air, reaching for the pocket of his coat. Their relationship had improved a lot over the past couple of months and it seemed as if he had even taken a liking to Merlin, but it was still rare to actually see him at the shop.

“Hello.” Uther nodded, the hint of a smile forming on his face. “I didn´t mean to interrupt. I was in the neighbourhood and since we haven´t spoken a lot lately I thought I´d drop by.”

Merlin, who was still holding onto Arthur´s hand, smiled. “It´s nice to see you. Would you like some macaroons?” He didn´t even wait for an answer and slipped out of Arthur´s grip and behind the counter.

“I hadn´t heard from you about the Christmas dinner, Arthur. So…I came to invite you. You too, Merlin.” He took the offered macaroons with another smile. Or what counted as a smile for Uther Pendragon anyway. “I´ve heard that your mother will be in town too. She´s invited as well, of course. And your uncle. The more the merrier. And thank you for this,” He held up the macaroons.

“We´d love to, don´t we?” Merlin responded, elbowing Arthur´s side, because he stood still, almost gaping at his father. Arthur couldn´t remember ever hearing his father say _the more the merrier_ or something nice about Christmas for that matter.

“I…yes. Of course.” He finally managed and Uther nodded, before turning to leave.

Merlin let out a small chuckle before leaning against Arthur´s side. “You wanted to talk to me?” He then asked, a little more serious than before and Arthur wrapped an arm around him.

“Yeah…later.” He then replied before claiming Merlin´s lips in a kiss.

 

**+1**

It was the morning of the 24th and they had opened the shop for a couple of hours in case some people needed last minute desserts or gifts for their friends and family. They had just sold the last batch of gingerbread cookies and Arthur was cleaning up the counter and the glass display when he was interrupted by a _squeal._

He looked up and found Merlin staring out the window. Arthur held back a laugh and glanced out onto the street, where snow was slowly falling slowly from the sky and landing on the pavement.

“Arthur, it´s snowing!”

Merlin seemed to be easily excited by simple things like snow and it made Arthur love him even more.  He didn´t even have the time to respond before Merlin had taken him by the hand and pulled him towards the door.

Arthur barely even managed to grab his coat, which was hanging by the door, and then they were outside. Merlin´s face was titled towards the sky and he was smiling more brightly than Arthur had ever seen him.

“You´re going to catch a cold,” He reminded him with a chuckle, but Merlin just rolled his eyes.

“I´ll risk it,” He replied, spinning with his arms stretched out and Arthur only laughed before pulling Merlin in close and draping his coat around the other man´s shoulders. He had been meaning to say something, scold Merlin in a playful matter, but now that he was this close Arthur could feel his heart beating faster and he glanced at his coat and the inside pocket.

“If you´re going to lecture me…” Merlin began, a half smile still on his face, but this time it was Arthur who wouldn´t let him finish.

“Move in with me.”

It was the first time he had ever seen Merlin speechless and Arthur felt positively giddy. His heart was hammering against his ribcage and he reached into the pocket of his coat, pulling out the key.

“I´ve had this made weeks ago.” He held up the silver key. “I´ve been meaning to ask you, but every time I tried something came up. I know it´s maybe too early, but I´ve never felt surer about anything in my life. I´ve never been happier than I am with you and I don´t want to spend another night going home to an empty apartment.”

Arthur was almost out of breath by the end of his speech and Merlin still hadn´t said a word. His eyes wandered from the key to Arthur and then he reached out, brushing a few snowflakes from Arthur´s cheek, much like Arthur had done it with the flour on Merlin´s face countless times before.

“I thought you´d never ask.”


End file.
